Mossberg MC2c Compact Semi-Auto Pistol

Following the phenomenal success of the MC1sc™, Mossberg’s first semi-auto pistol in the company’s 100-year history, Mossberg is announcing the next in its series of feature-rich handguns: the MC2c (compact) 9mm pistol. Combining superior ergonomics, performance-driven features and an increased capacity with its double-stack magazines, makes the MC2c a great size for concealed carry or home protection. Five initial offerings will include two frame variants (standard and cross-bolt safety); choice of slide finishes (black DLC-finished or bead-blasted stainless steel); and optional TRUGLO® Tritium Pro™ Night sights. And all MC2c models come with 13-round flush and 15-round extended coated-steel magazines.

Carryability begins with the compact size of the MC2c which features a 3.9-inch barrel and has an overall length of 7.1 inches; surprisingly-slim width of 1.10 inches; and height of 4.90 inches. Weighing in at 21 ounces (unloaded), this semiauto is designed to be incredibly narrow for its capacity. In addition to its concealability, the MC2c pistol’s ergonomic features help ensure that this compact is comfortable to shoot. The grip has an added palm swell and grip angle, like a 1911, and features Mossberg’s signature aggressive texturing for a more confident, firm grip. The stainless-steel slide features aggressive multi-angle serrations that provide positive slide manipulation and MC2c pistols also have a reversible magazine release, located behind the trigger guard. Models are available with a cross-bolt safety, which is reversible for right or left-handed shooters.

The MC2c frames are constructed of glass-reinforced polymer, which provides for high tensile strength and stiffness as well as high impact and chemical resistance. Slides are stainless steel with the option of Black DLC (Diamond-Like Coating) or Matte Stainless finish. And integrated into the slide is the Mossberg STS™ (Safe Takedown System), which unlike competitive products, does not require the user to pull the trigger to dissemble for routine cleaning or maintenance. Other standard features include dovetail-mounted, low-profile white 3-dot sights (drift adjustable); stainless steel barrel with cut-broached rifling and 1-in-16 twist rate with black DLC finish; front accessory rail; oversized trigger guard; and flat-profile trigger with integrated blade safety. Trigger features include short, tactile reset; reduced overtravel; and approximate 5.5-pound trigger pull weigh.

The MC2c flush 13-round and an extended 15-round double-stack magazines are constructed of coated steel which offers low friction and superior wear-resistance. The magazines also feature easy-to-remove floorplates for ease of cleaning and high-visibility followers.

Recognized as the world’s leading pump-action shotgun manufacturer, Mossberg has established its place in the concealed carry handgun market with last year’s successful release of the MC1sc (subcompact); and now with the launch of a companion compact pistol, the MC2c.

Mossberg MC2c 9mm Pistol Review

Handguns by nature are a compromise; there is a trade-off between portability and shootability. Somewhere in the middle is a sweet spot, and the Mossberg MC2c 9mm pistol just may have landed there.

While Mossberg may be best known for their shotguns and long guns, the introduction of the MC1 sub-compact pistol in 2019 demonstrated that Mossberg could deliver a high quality handgun at a working man’s price. The Mossberg MC2c 9mm pistol compliments the line-up with a slightly larger pistol that’s been designed from the ground up to not only conceal well, but also to shoot and handle well.

If concealability was the only concern, then the smaller the pistol, the better off you are. The unfortunate reality of things, however, is that as the pistol gets smaller, it becomes much more difficult to not only shoot well, but also to manipulate well. Short sight radiuses make for a more challenging shot, small magazine wells make for challenging reloads, and small slides make for more challenging malfunction clearances, should the need arise. Another issue with sub-compact pistols is that they are slower to draw from concealment because there is less grip area to grasp during the draw.

With the MC2c, the engineers at Mossberg took all of this into account and designed the pistol to find that sweet spot of concealability, portability and shootability. With an overall weight of 21 ounces unloaded, a height of 4.9 inches and a length of 7.1 inches, the pistol compares favorably to mainstays in the category, like the traditional commander sized 1911, or the more modern Glock 48. The stainless steel, DLC coated slide houses a 4-inch barrel, which is what I consider to be the very best length for a pistol that is intended to be both carried often and shot often.

While pistols with sub-4-inch barrels are not necessarily less accurate than pistols with at least 4-inch barrels, the practical effect of a stubby barrel is that they are often more difficult to shoot due to the abbreviated sight radius. It is also a mistake to think that pistols with a 4-inch tube are somehow more difficult to conceal than sub-compacts, as the barrel is not generally the part of the gun that “prints” in a concealment. An added benefit for those that carry concealed in the appendix position, is that a 4-inch barrel provides enough leverage between the body and the belt to keep the grip from pushing out against a cover garment, or “levering out,” which happens easily with a smaller barrel, especially if you haven’t been skipping dessert.

The black, glass filled polymer frame features a generous beavertail, which should protect even a very large hand from the dreaded railroad tracks caused by the slides rearward movement. The trigger guard also is a good size without being comically large, and the dustcover just forward of the trigger guard features a Picatinny rail. Like the MC1, the MC2 has areas of Mossberg’s signature grip texture molded into the frame. This texture feels slightly more aggressive than the texture on the MC1, and a small gripe is that I wish there was more of it, especially in the area above the magazine release button. The magazine release button is steel, reversible and easily accessible, even for shooters with smaller hands. The narrow stocks house a steel, flush-fit 13 round magazine that give this very concealable pistol a considerable payload in comparison to others in its category. A slightly longer magazine with a 15-round capacity also is available without sacrificing much concealability.

The company’s engineers certainly understand what it takes to make a good striker-fired trigger. The Mossberg MC2c 9mm pistol features the same flat-profiled trigger of the MC1, which is a very nice touch for a stock gun. The trigger itself breaks consistently at right around 5.5 pounds with the typical striker fired take-up, but with very little of that dreaded striker fired over travel. The trigger is smooth through its length of travel and there’s not much noticeable stacking as it breaks. Reset is short and tactile, and while the concept of shooting to reset is a topic for another day, those that shoot in that manner will find this trigger comforting.

The devil really is in the details. Rounding up the specifications, the slide features Mossberg’s signature serrations both fore and aft, and I quite like them. and while Mossberg could have just milled cuts into the slide and called it a day, they didn’t. The serrations are actually angled properly, so that the shooters hand engages the forward edge of the cut, making it very positive, even when the hands are sweaty or wet. The sights on the Mossberg MC2 are available in either a traditional 3-dot configuration, or a Truglo Tritium Pro Night sight. If neither of these options work for you, the MC2 utilizes the very common SIG No. 8 dovetail cut, so finding other sights is easy.

“MOSSBERG MC2C; 9MM LUGER COMPACT SEMI AUTO PISTOL; 4″INCH BARREL; 15 ROUNDS EXTENDED MAGAZINES; INTEGRATED TRIGGER BLADE SAFETY; WHITE 3 DOTS SIGHTS; FRONT SIGHT WHITE DOT DRIFT ADJUSTABLE DOVETAIL; REAR SIGHT DUAL WHITE DOT DRIFT ADJUSTABLE DOVETAIL; FLAT PROFILE TRIGGER APPROXIMATELY 5.5lb TRIGGER PULL; 0.5″INCH TRIGGER TRAVEL; 416 STAINLESS STEEL BARREL (“BLACK DLC FINISH”); 416 STAINLESS STEEL SLIDE – (“BLACK DLC FINISH”); HEIGHT:4.90″INCH; LENGTH:7.10″INCH; WIDTH:1.10″INCH; SIGHT RADIUS:6.40″INCH; OVERALL WEIGHT: 21OZ – (“UNLOADED”) – 29OZ – (“LOADED”); MATTE: BLACK; ETC:”